OFFICIAL: Alfa Romeo reappoints Guanyu Zhou for 2023

The identity of the teammate Valtteri Bottas next year had hardly been in doubt for weeks, even months. Alfa Romeo Racing confirmed it this Tuesday morning, after a somewhat grandiloquent 5-day teaser.

Without surprise, Guanyu-Zhou was therefore extended by Hinwil for at least one season, an extension which rewards a promising first season for the native of Shanghai (China) even if luck has not often been on his side.

“I am very happy to continue with Alfa Romeo for another season,” commented Zhou. Arrive in F1 was a dream come true.

The team has given me extraordinary support, welcoming me warmly from day one and helping me adapt to the most complex championship in the world.

I have other goals in this sport, even higher ones and we will work hard with the team to achieve them. I still have a lot to learn and develop but I am confident in our work »

After a winter where his promotion to F1 left many observers perplexed, Zhou immediately silenced the most dissonant voices in Bahrain for the start of the season by entering the points (10th).

A test attempt transformed into a masterstroke which was not going to remain a dead letter since the Chinese driver showed himself to be quite close to the performances of his illustrious teammate in the race, while progressing in qualifying.

He thus forced the doors of Q3 for the first time at the Canadian GP, ​​before doing it again in Great Britain.

Forced to deal with reliability that was not always there and an Alfa Romeo C42 falling into line, Zhou did not have the results he could have hoped for, even if he got into the points again in Montreal ( 8th) and Monza (10th).

Enough to carve out a solid reputation which earned it this renewal for one year with an option for the next.

« Since his first day in the team at the Abu Dhabi test last year, Zhou has impressed me, confides his main team Frédéric Vasseur.

His approach and work ethic are excellent. We knew he was fast but the way he adapted to Formula 1 so quickly is one of the great surprises of the season.

He's a very nice boy that everyone in the stable appreciates for his personality and positive attitude.

He has the humility to ask the questions and learn the necessary lessons, whether from the engineers or from Valtteri (Bottas). He then has the intelligence to apply them to improve from race to race. We must build on this experience to take a new step next year ».

Zhou's extension is also good news for F1 with the expected return of China to the 2023 calendar. After the reappointment of Guanyu Zhou, there remain at least three seats to be filled on next year's grid.

At Williams, the American option embodied by Logan sargeant, current 3rd in F2, holds the rope, while one might have thought Nyck de Vries more legitimate after his thunderous performance at Monza replacingAlexander albon.

The Dutchman is however anticipated at Alpha Tauri where it would replace a Pierre Gasly leaving for Alpine.

Finally, the big unknown lies in Haas, where alone Kevin Magnussen is under contract beyond the current season. His teammate Mick Schumacher, who will leave the Ferrari Driver Academy at the end of the year finds itself in a delicate situation, a consequence of its lackluster results since its F1 debut in 2021.

The elders Nico Hulkenberg and Antonio Giovinazzi, but also the young Robert Shwartzman, Ferrari test driver, are on the list of candidates for the second Haas seat.

The current grid for 2023

Red Bull : Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez
Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz
Mercedes : Lewis Hamilton, George Russell
Alpine : Esteban Ocon, ???
McLaren : Lando Norris, Oscar piastri
Alfa Romeo: Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou
Haas: Kevin Magnussen, ???
AlphaTauri: Yuki tsunoda, Pierre Gasly (???)
Aston Martin : Fernando Alonso, Lance stroll
Williams: Alex Albon, ???